Money, Money, Money

$44,000 a year and a one-bedroom apartment in a college town. Free time is spent clipping coupons, chasing sales, and riding bikes to save money. Meals are gathered from the discount grocery store, and weekends are spent sifting through thrift store shelves to furnish our first home. Our lives revolve around payday and bill due dates, but we dance in the kitchen and sing to each other. Movie nights on the couch with dollar store candy fill the evenings. “Free events near me” is my most searched term. While money is tight, rarely a day goes by with a smile on my face. Who needs money when you have love and laughter?

$150,000 a year and a new apartment in Boulder, CO. Bills migrate to autopay, and the dollar store and discount grocer are swapped for Sprouts and a Sam’s Club membership. Meals out at Olive Garden and weekends spent driving around the state. Life feels easy and carefree, though I miss dancing in the dim-lit little kitchen.

$250,000 a year and a new house in a new state. Movers pack and ship all our things, making it the easiest move yet. A 3-bedroom house in a cute neighborhood, with a yard perfect for our pup. Dinner dates at fancy places and luxury vacations at all-inclusive resorts. Where once I scoured thrift shops for decent towels, multiple new sets now sit in the linen closet. Bills are paid without thought, and groceries are purchased without help from the sales bill. But, where there was once dancing and laughter, there is silence. What good is a three-bedroom house when I am always left alone?

$50,000 a year and a room in my parent’s home. Everything I scrounged to buy from the thrift store sits boxed with those nice new towels in a storage unit. Everything is in boxes. There are no more fancy vacations or lavish dinners. Everything I thought I needed to be happy is gone, including him. No more bills on autopay and every paycheck is much needed. Sitting in my parent’s backyard, I am filled with peace as I drink coffee while working on my old laptop. Who needs fancy vacations when they are followed by distance and rejection? What good is a nice dinner when you have nothing to talk about? I gather my things to head inside when I look up and pause. Through the window, I can make out two figures holding each other. One twirls the other, and laughter floats to me, followed by a deep voice singing along to the country tune. Watching my parents and seeing their love for each other after so long together, I know it's not about the money. It's about living life, surrounding yourself with good people, and always making the best of where you are.